Roya stood on the fancy balcony of a king suite high up in the Gran Tesoro, looking down at the bright, buzzing Golden tropolis. He knew that hidden beneath all the flashy lights and fake smiles were countless sins.
And they were allowed to happen!
"Smiles," he muttered, a dark cloud passing over his eyes.
Back when I was weak, these big shots wouldn't even give a second look. Now, with his power growing, even Gild Tesoro was treating him like royalty.
But it also ant he had to choose a side.
Tonight's dinner was definitely an invitation to join forces. If he accepted, they'd be partners in cri.
To get what I want, I can't just rely on the Marines. They weren't strong enough, and those who benefited from the Celestial Dragons would never listen to him.
Justice?
What good is that?
It wasn't that he thought the Marines didn't care about justice, but that was the truth. Even an Admiral had to go against their beliefs to help the Celestial Dragons.
To survive in that world, you had to compromise.
Garp was the only exception, but even he couldn't change the whole system. He just played his own ga, catching pirates out of sight and out of mind.
And officers like Smoker, who fought for what was right, were rare. Before joining him, Smoker had already been pushed aside by his colleagues.
The higher you climbed, the easier it was to beco part of the problem, an accomplice to a corrupt system.
That's why he needed soone like Gild Tesoro as a political ally, and outside help like the Beasts Pirates. The reason he worked so hard to get Ace into the Seven Warlords was to gain more allies.
When the ti ca to fight back, he'd need an army behind him.
Roya knew being idealistic wouldn't work. To beat the bad guys, you had to beco even worse than them!
Soon after, Baccarat led Monet into the room.
"Vice Admiral Black Hair," Baccarat announced, "I've brought the person you requested."
"Mm," Roya replied.
He turned to face Monet. "Take off her handcuffs."
"Eh?" Baccarat hesitated, then whispered, "Vice Admiral, Monet has a Logia-type power. It was hard to capture her. If she's free, she could easily escape!"
"It's fine, take them off," Roya waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes," Baccarat said, not arguing further. She removed Monet's Sea Prism Stone handcuffs and respectfully left the room.
Monet clenched her hands. Without the shackles, her body slowly regained its strength, and her Devil Fruit power began to answer her call.
She lifted her head, her eyes full of hate as she looked at Roya. A sharp ice blade slowly ford in her palm.
As the Snow-Snow Fruit user, she couldn't instantly freeze things, but she could slowly make ice.
Roya looked down at the ice blade in Monet's hand and her slightly trembling body. He smirked.
She's scared to death, but she's still thinking about getting revenge on .
"I'll give you a chance for revenge," Roya said calmly, standing still. "I'll stand here, not running or dodging. If you can hurt , I'll let you go free. You can even try to kill , to avenge your Young Master."
"..."
From under her ssy hair, Monet's eyes widened slightly.
She knew she didn't stand a chance against Black Hair. He could easily kill her.
But if he didn't dodge, she might have a chance!
Monet slowly stood up, holding the ice blade with both hands, her eyes locked on Black Hair's heart. If she plunged the blade into his heart, even Black Hair would surely die.
That should be right!
But, but!
Why can't my body move!
Move, damn it!
Monet trembled, took a small step back, and the ice blade fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Looking at the shattered ice, Monet's eyes lost their light, her strength fading, and she slumped to the ground.
She had retreated.
Even if Black Hair didn't dodge, she couldn't kill him with her own power. That was a fact.
"Not taking revenge?"
Roya walked over to Monet, bent down, lifted her chin, and looked her in the eyes. "If you're not going to take revenge, go wash yourself. You disguised yourself as a singing girl on Hawaii Island, you should know how to please a man, right?"
"I..." Monet bit her lip.
Back on Hawaii Island, Black Hair had humiliated her like this, but that ti it was in a nightclub, and the contact was limited.
But this ti...
How can I sleep with my enemy!
"Monet..."
Monet stared blankly at herself in the mirror, naked. Her body had been washed clean with warm water, and her skin was as white as snow.
Like a Snow Woman.
In a daze, she finished her shower.
The trembling in her body faded with the warm water.
The fear disappeared.
"Monet," she muttered to herself again in front of the mirror.
The mirror reflected the months of wandering and displacent. Having lost her family, she hid alone, spending every day and night in loneliness and fear.
It wasn't until Gild Tesoro's betrayal that she realized how ridiculous her revenge was, and how cheap she was.
The weak had no right to choose.
Her slender hand rested on the bathroom door.
If she opened it, her life would be completely changed.
"Creak--"
The door opened.
Roya stood by the window and turned around at the sound. He looked at the Snow Woman wrapped in a thin white towel, her hair still a little wet, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Perhaps it was because of her Devil Fruit power, but the woman's skin was as white as snow. After showering, it was even more tender, creating a striking image.
"Vice Admiral Black Hair," Monet said, lowering her head as she felt Roya's gaze. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tremblingly let go of the towel, letting it fall to the ground.
I'm sorry, Young Master.
The mories of her family shattered at that mont.
She had no power of revenge.
"Whoosh!"
Clothing covered her body.
"Put your clothes on," Roya said, walking towards the balcony.
He wanted to see if Monet would listen to him. If she still overestimated herself and wanted revenge, he would have to kill her.
But if she accepted reality, he wouldn't mind keeping her around to handle so dirty work that couldn't be done in the open.
----
Three days later, the warship left Golden City.
Compared to before, there were a few more people on board. Caesar and Monet were secretly placed in the ship's lounge.
Inside the lounge.
"Hmm, who is she?" Roya asked, looking at the woman next to Yamato, puzzled.
The woman stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Vice Admiral Black Hair, I am Shinuchi Speed of the Beasts Pirates. I have co to serve Miss Yamato, following Lord Kaido's order."
"Serve..." Roya was speechless.
Do they think I'm a fool? This is more like surveillance.
If it were before, he would have thrown this woman into the sea, but now that he had beco Kaido's son-in-law, he couldn't clear his na even if he tried. He didn't mind a little more dirt.
It was good to have soone take care of Yamato.
"From now on, you are Yamato's direct subordinate, and have nothing to do with the Beasts Pirates, understand?"
"Understood, Vice Admiral Black Hair!"
"Address as Vice Admiral!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
*
**
***
[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 623 PS
Goal : Reach 50 Total PS = 2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Want to support my work and get early access to Chapters? Check out my Patreon! 👇
➡️ /Boundless_Beacon
]
Reviews
All reviews (0)